


I Know You Planned It

by Lovelyziam



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Breaking Up & Making Up, Date Sabotage, Happy Ending, I swear there is y'all because it's me and I'm very, Light Angst, M/M, THEY GOTTA!, it's very light trust me, my boys have got to end up together, unhappy ending who? I don't know her
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-21
Updated: 2019-06-21
Packaged: 2020-05-15 06:55:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19290532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lovelyziam/pseuds/Lovelyziam
Summary: It all seemed to happen in slow motion, one minute Liam’s date was talking to Zayn with that dumb ass smile on his face, then the next Zayn was—very casually, if he did say so himself. It definitely looked like an accident—sweeping his hand out, knocking over a full glass of wine inJoseph’slap. Joseph let out a gasp as Zayn put on his best shocked face, morphing his features into one of sincere apology.“Oh, my God,” Zayn gasped out. “I’m so, so sorry. I wasn’t watching where I was putting my hands. I’m so sor—”“Zayn,” Liam’s tone was clipped when he spoke. Zayn immediately stilled, his words coming to an abrupt halt. He soundedpissed. Fuck.Zayn slowly swiveled to face Liam more fully, his expression no doubt showcasing his dread. “Um, yes?”“Can I speak to you?” Liam stood up, his posture rigid and tense. “Inprivate.”Or Liam keeps going on blind dates, and Zayn keeps sabotaging them.





	I Know You Planned It

**Author's Note:**

> The title is taken from the Beastie Boy's Sabotage because I couldn't resist. This was actually supposed to be a drabble that just kinda...spiraled out of control. Oops
> 
> Also this is unedited because I'm lazy and hate editing. Please forgive the many, many mistakes.

Zayn wasn’t sure why he’d come to Louis’ in the first place—possibly because he was bored, more than likely because he wanted details about a certain person—but he was starting to regret it with every passing minute. He really didn’t fancy listening to Louis talk about one of his work buddies. Like, at all.

“I’m telling you, Zayn. It was hands down one of the funniest things I’ve ever heard the man say. He’s normally so serious.” Louis threw himself back against the cushions of his couch, jostling Zayn slightly on the other end. Louis got a faraway look in his eyes, seemingly lost in his thoughts for a moment. “I really think him and Liam will hit it off this weekend,” he murmured, barely audible to Zayn.

But Zayn heard it, loud and clear. Louis might as well have shouted it for how hard the words hit Zayn, smacking him right in the chest and knocking all the air from his lungs. He immediately felt himself tense, any calm he’d felt earlier slowly leaving him.

“What?” he gasps out, his expression probably a bit too manic as he gapes at Louis.

Louis turns to look at him, confusion clouding his features. “What do you mean what? I thought my story was pretty clear, mate. Were you even listening?”

Zayn wanted to smack him. “I’m not talking about your fucking story, Louis. I’m talking about this guy and Liam hitting it off this weekend. Why is this guy hitting it off with Liam? What is happening this weekend?” Louis sat forward again, attempting to mask the panic that had worked its way across his features at his slip up.

And it had to be a slip up because Louis still hadn’t answered him. His eyes were bouncing around the room as he thought. He was avoiding Zayn’s eyes as he tried to think up an adequate excuse, is what he was doing. Zayn could see through his little charade clear as day.

“Oh, um,” Louis paused, bringing his hands down to swipe over his knees. Zayn’s eyes narrowed in on the movement. Louis was, unquestionably, about to lie to him. “I-I accidentally made plans with both guys, right? So, I figured we would all just hang out so I didn’t have to canc—”

“Bullshit,” Zayn interrupted. Even if Zayn hadn’t been looking for Louis’ tells, it was an obvious lie. Louis never made plans to hang out with coworkers outside of work—all he ever did was bitch about them most of the time. “I don’t believe that for a second. What’s going on? Why are you trying so hard to avoid the truth?” Zayn had to force down the dread that was slowly working its way through him. He had a pretty good idea of what was happening, but he was praying he was wrong. “What is Liam doing this weekend?”

In hindsight, Zayn realized that he was probably being a tad too pushy—asking probing questions about your ex to a shared friend wasn’t exactly a smart thing to do—but he just wanted answers. Judging by the hard look on Louis’ face, Zayn wasn’t about to get those anytime soon.

“Why does it matter so much? Why do you care what Liam is doing this weekend? He’s not your responsibility anymore, now is he?”

Zayn winced; Louis was completely right. He wasn’t, but that didn’t mean he didn’t still care for Liam. Just because they weren’t dating anymore didn’t mean that he suddenly lost any and all feelings towards the man. Still, Zayn backed off a little, holding his hands up in surrender.

“He isn’t, and I wasn’t trying to imply that. Was just curious, is all.” Zayn finished his statement with a shrug, putting on an air of indifference that he certainly didn’t feel at the moment. Louis seemed appeased, at least for the moment. He settled back against the cushions again, his features smoothing out.

“Well, if you must know,” Louis began, picking his phone up. Zayn could tell that it was just for show, all of Louis’ attention was focused on Zayn and his reaction. It made Zayn nervous as hell. “I set our dear Liam up on a blind date with Phillip, the coworker I was just telling you about.”

Zayn felt himself stiffen once again, his entire body screaming with the urge to throw something. Why the _fuck_ was Louis setting Liam up on a blind date? Him and Liam hadn’t even been broken up for that long, and, on top of that, wasn’t Louis the one always nagging Zayn about how they shouldn’t have broken up in the first place? What the fuck was going on?

“Oh,” Zayn said, trying very hard to remain an outer air of level headedness so he didn’t alert Louis to his inner turmoil. He was the exact opposite of level fucking headed right now. “That’s, um. That’s great.” Zayn blew out a long breath, trying to collect his scattered thoughts enough to say something that wouldn’t completely reveal his emotions. “And Liam’s, um, Liam’s okay with this?” Honestly, the only saving grace would be if Louis was forcing Liam into this in order to help him move on. If Liam was willingly going on this date, then that meant…

That meant that he _was_ moving on. Zayn refused to acknowledge why that though made a heavy weight settle in his stomach.

Louis narrowed his eyes, dropping his phone back into his lap as he gave up the pretense to focus his attention back on Zayn. “Do you honestly think I would force Liam into a date that he was completely against?”

Zayn swallowed roughly, trying to push down the lump that had quickly formed in his throat. So Liam was moving on, then. “Oh. Um, no, no. Of course not.” Zayn diverted his gaze, focusing it on his lap as he slowly tried to navigate his tangled thoughts.

Liam was going on a date this weekend. He was moving on from Zayn with the help of Louis. He was going on a date with some guy that wasn’t Zayn because Zayn lost that right when they’d broken up. No, he was going on a date with some guy named _Phillip_. A guy Louis had spent the better half of an hour talking about, and a guy who sounded boring and stiff and not at all Liam’s type. Liam could do much better than this Phillip guy. The date would probably go awfully, and Liam would be forced to act cheerful through the whole thing because he’s a nice guy and he wouldn’t want anyone to get hurt. Then after the date was over, Phillip would probably be so enamored with Liam that he’d ask him on another date—not that Zayn would blame the dude, Liam had an almost magnetic pull; he’d certainly captivated Zayn before they’d even been properly introduced—and Liam would probably end up saying yes because he wouldn’t want to offend Louis, even though everyone knew Louis was awful at setting people up. Absolutely terrible. There was no way the date wouldn’t go awfully. Really, someone should rescue Liam from the disaster that it would inevitably end up being.

Zayn felt the light go off in his head as the idea occurred to him. _He_ could save Liam. He could totally prevent this date from ever even happening in the first place. All he needed was to con the details out of Louis. If he had Phillip’s last name, he could call the three restaurants that Louis _always_ used when setting people up to see if there was a reservation. Then, all he’d have to do is pretend to be this guy and cancel it.

But only to save Liam from an awful date, of course. Zayn had absolutely no other motivation. None at all.

Zayn looked back up at Louis who was still staring at him, no doubt trying to get a read on whatever Zayn was thinking. _Good luck_ , Zayn thought. The only one who’d ever properly been able to read him was going on a date with another man this weekend. A date that Zayn was going to make sure didn’t happen.

“So, um, what’s Phillip’s last name?” Zayn asked, completely casual. He was definitely the poster boy of calm and casual right now.

Louis was suspicious anyway.

“What? Why do you want to know his last name?”

Zayn rolled his eyes, trying to pretend like Louis was the ridiculous one in this situation; like he was the one asking absurd questions and not Zayn. That wasn’t true, though, Zayn was definitely the one with an ulterior motive, but he managed to play it off.

“I was just wondering if I’d ever heard you talking about him before, is all. You said you’d worked with him for a while, so there’s a chance you’ve mentioned him before, right?”

Louis relaxed at Zayn’s explanation, giving him a small smile before easily giving the information out. Zayn smiled to himself, his plan already starting to take effect in his mind.

—

Zayn arrived outside the restaurant at exactly 6:30. The reservation was for 7, but Zayn wanted to be early just in case. He parked down the street, making sure his car wouldn’t be noticed before he got out, trying to get a better vantage point to see the restaurant. He wanted to make sure he wouldn’t be spotted—Liam was familiar with his car, after all—but he also wanted to be within ear shot of any conversations that might happen.

He had struggled with whether to even show up or not—it seemed almost creepy, and very shady to show up on a date that he had deliberately ruined—but he wanted to make sure that the date _was_ effectively wrecked. Zayn could admit that he felt a little guilty—in other circumstances, he wouldn’t have interfered at all, but this was _Liam._ Just because they were broken up didn’t mean that Zayn wanted him to suffer any more than he had to. His guilt was just because his actions were, objectively speaking, kind of shitty. When it came to Liam, though, Zayn was anything but objective.

He was also super antsy. What if his plan backfired somehow? What if Liam talked this guy into going to another place instead, and they ended up having their date anyway? What would Zayn do, then? He was hoping that the canceled reservation would ruin the date from the start—put both boys in a bad enough mood that the date just ended right there—but that was stupid, wasn’t it? Just because one place didn’t work out, didn’t mean that they wouldn’t just find another.

Zayn was working himself up into a small panic when a familiar laugh broke through his darkening thoughts. He looked up to see Liam and who he assumed was Phillip walking towards him. Zayn’s heart lodged itself in his throat as he watched the two approach, his panic spiking again at possibly being caught. Why were they walking towards him? He was about to work himself into another mess of nerves when the man with Liam stopped, reaching out to open a door. Zayn watched as Liam smiled shyly at the guy, before ducking his head down and walking through the open doorway. Zayn felt his heart fall from his throat all the way to the bottom of his stomach—that was Liam’s flirty smile. Liam gave this _Phillip_ guy a _flirty_ smile.

Zayn let out a long breath, sagging back into the brick behind him and bringing his hands up to burry his face in. He was so screwed. Liam and this guy were going to hit it off. They were going to go into the restaurant, laugh over pricy wine and snobby food and fucking _fall in love_ and Zayn’s chance at redeeming himself would be lost forever.

Zayn felt himself straighten, his posture immediately going tense because _what_? This wasn’t about _redeeming himself_. No, it was about making sure that Liam didn’t have to suffer through Louis’ bad taste in men. This was about _saving him_ , nothing else. Where had that thought even come from?

“—is a big deal. What the fuck is wrong with you people? We didn’t cancel our fucking reservation, I swear to—”

Zayn looked up at the loud voice, tucking himself further against the brick out of instinct. He watched as Liam pushed his date back out of the doorway they’d just walked through moments ago, and tight, pained smile forced on his lips.

“Really, I’m so sorry,” Liam murmured back through the still open door, effectively cutting Phillip off as Liam gave him another shove.

“It’s not okay, though! What kind of incompetent employees are they—”

“Enough!” Liam yelled. Phillips mouth closed with an audible click, his hard expression going slack with surprise. Liam’s shoulders were a tense line as he turned back to the still open restaurant door.

“I really am so sorry,” he began. His face was twisted into a look of regret, but Zayn could see the anger there.

Liam hated it when people were rude in general, let alone to those who were just trying to do their job. Zayn felt a small thrill of victory go through him. His plan had worked so much better than he ever thought it would. There was absolutely no way Liam would agree to another date after this guy had reacted the way he did to the host. Zayn tamped down the urge to let out a happy shout.

Zayn’s sense of victory was soon chased away with a sense of dread as an angry Liam stomped his way towards Zayn. He felt himself immediately start to panic. What was he supposed to do? He was just _standing_ there by himself, very obviously eaves dropping. Never mind that the was semi hidden and Liam probably wouldn’t see him. Zayn looked around, desperate for anything that would get him out of this situation. He glanced back towards Liam and his date, who were just _meters_ away from him.

In hindsight, if he wouldn’t have let out a very audible squeak of panic, Liam probably wouldn’t have ever noticed him.

As it were, Zayn had very little control over his vocal cords, but enough bad luck to last him a lifetime.

He watched as Liam stopped in his tracks, his head jerking in Zayn’s direction as his eye grew wide with surprise. Zayn’s last thought before Liam spoke was _at least he’s too surprised to be angry anymore._

“Zayn?”

“Uhm. Liam. Hi.” Zayn leaned back against the brick behind him again, trying—and no doubt absolutely failing—to look casual; like he belonged there. He felt anything but casual. His pulse was beating out an irregular rhythm and fuck, but did Liam look beautiful right now. Zayn was kind of drunk off it—it’d been so _long_ since he’d seen Liam in person, let alone been this close to him. How was he expected to act like a normal human being?

“What, uh, what’re you doing here?” Zayn almost winced as soon as the words left his mouth, but he held it back. What the fuck was he thinking? That didn’t even sound natural. He’s seeing his ex for the first time in four month and he’s asking him what he’s doing in a very public place? _Smooth, Zayn. Real smooth._

Liam narrowed his eyes at Zayn, obviously already suspicious. “I was about to grab dinner.” He shot a glance back to Phillip, clearly trying to decide if he should tell Zayn the whole truth or not. Zayn wasn’t sure if he wanted him to either, honestly.

Liam apparently decided against it because the next second his gaze was sliding back to Zayn, pinning him to the brick with that familiar brown Zayn had missed so much.

“What are _you_ doing here?” It wasn’t an accusation, not exactly, but it also was not _not_ an accusation. Liam was pretty suspicious of Zayn right now which, okay, fair, but Liam didn’t _know_ anything. For all he knew Zayn was here to get dinner too! Maybe he was meeting someone! Liam didn’t know anything!

“I’m. I’m meeting someone.” Zayn gave and abortive gesture with his hand before immediately gluing it back to his side. What was _wrong_ with him. Why couldn’t he act normal? He’d just ruined Liam’s date, so what? No one _knew_ that.

Liam opened his mouth, ready to say something, before _Phillip_ , the bastard, leaned into his personal space, obviously urging Liam forward by a hand on his shoulder.

“Come one, Liam,” he began. “We were kind of in the middle of something, remember?”

Phillip’s hand seemed to shock Liam out of whatever trance seeing Zayn again had put him under—Zayn tried really hard not to be too smug about that. His expression clouded with anger again before he jerked his shoulder forward.

“No,” Liam said, turning back to Phillip. “I really don’t think we were. We’ve finished, have we not?” Phillip’s eyes widened, apparently not used to such an obvious dismissal. He swung his gaze back to Zayn, letting out a small ‘have a good night, Zayn’ that absolutely did _not_ make his heart pound a little harder. It _didn’t_. And then he was walking away again, his stupid date trailing after, practically begging Liam to stop and explain what had happened.

Zayn felt all the air rush out of him, his lungs burning with the effort of holding it in for so long. He hadn’t even realized he’d _been_ holding his breath. What the fuck. Tonight had not gone how Zayn thought it woud.

Oh well, at least he’d been successful.

—

Zayn didn’t feel so successful. What was up with his friends trying to set Liam up on blind dates? It was like they wanted him to suffer. What the fuck?

“—and he’s really great. Liam’s going to love him. He’ll treat Liam right, like he _deserves_.” Harry cut a glance across to Zayn, his eyes narrowed in obvious distaste before continuing on. “And he’s super nice, not like the guy you set him up with, Lou. Honestly, what were you thinking…”

Harry’s voice faded out as Zayn got lost in his own thoughts. First off, fuck Harry. Zayn treated Liam like a king while they were together and _everyone_ knew that. He was just bitter because Zayn never told him the reason behind him and Liam’s break up. Harry was the first person Liam had went to after they split, and once he’d helped pick up the pieces of Liam’s shattered heart, he’d come practically knocking down Zayn’s door demanding to know why he’d broken off a five year relationship so suddenly and unexpectedly. Zayn had, quite eloquently, told him to fuck right off, that it wasn’t any of his business.

Plus, if any one deserved an explanation, it would’ve been Liam, not Harry, so Zayn wasn’t so inclined to give him one when he’d never even given Liam a proper one.

And third off, why was Harry so sure this guy was better than Louis’ guy? Harry had never went on a date with the dude, so there was no way that he could be sure this guy was any better.

Zayn focused back in on Harry and Louis. He needed to get the details of the date out of Harry. It would be a lot harder than with Louis’ date. Louis always insisted on making all the arrangements, but from the sound of it Harry had let his friend make all the plans. Plus, whose to say this guy would even take Liam to a restaurant where you needed reservations? He was going to have to do a lot more planning to ensure this date, too, was a failure.

Zayn was gearing up to say something that would hopefully allow Harry to give him some kind of information on the date, when Harry and Louis were both standing up, heading towards the kitchen. Zayn was momentarily confused—he hadn’t been paying the slightest bit of attention to what they were talking about, and therefore had no idea what they were doing. He stood to follow them—if he was going to get details out of Harry, he’d actually have to talk to him—when something wedged in the couch cushions caught his eye.

With a delighted little laugh, Zayn realized it was Harry’s phone. It was perfect. Fucking fate telling him he was on the right path. He quickly snatched it up, going to Harry’s messages. It didn’t take long until he found the one with the words ‘Liam’ and ‘date’ scattered through it. He had no doubt that Harry would demand to know where Liam was being taken, even if he didn’t have a hand in the arrangements himself. He found the restaurant and the date easily, but couldn’t find anything about a time.

 _Oh, well,_ he thought to himself as he closed the messaging app and tucked the phone back in between the cushions. He’d just show up early and wait them out.

—

Zayn had been waiting for _forever_. Sure, he’d gone a little over board and showed up early just in case, but honestly. He was beginning to think that maybe he _hadn’t_ gotten the right information. It was nearing _eight_ , for Christ’s sake.

Zayn was seriously considering calling Harry and spoiling his whole plan when he seen a similar body make its way through the door of the restaurant. Zayn sank into his chair with a sigh of relief. He had gotten the information right, and he hadn’t missed the date. Thank God.

Liam and his date were quickly seated, the man sitting across the table from Liam far to cozy already for Zayn’s liking. It would make the date a lot harder to sabotage if Liam was already smitten with him.

Zayn watched them for a while, plotting different plans in his head. He thought about getting the waiter to flirt with Liam. That might piss off his date, make him say something about it to Liam, but then there was no guarantee it would upset Liam’s date. His next thought was to have the waiter spill something in Liam’s date’s lap. Preferably something that stained. Yeah. That would be good. Then he would have to leave, and he couldn’t take Liam another place if he had a stain down his front.

Zayn had just started signaling for his waiter, wondering just how much he’d have to pay him to do that when a movement from Liam’s table caught his eye.

Liam’s date was holding Liam’s hand. As in his date had stretched his hand across the table to grab Liam’s and Liam was just _letting him_. Zayn was up and out of his chair before he even realized what he was doing. His feet carried him all the way to Liam’s table, no plan coming to mind as he made his was through the crowded restaurant.

Zayn was stood beside Liam’s table now, and he still had no clue what he was going to say. All he knew is he wanted that fucking hand _off_ of Liam right now.

Liam and his date both looked up. When Liam saw Zayn standing there, the smile dropped off his face and a startled noise made its way up Liam’s throat.

Zayn had to admit, that one stung a little.

“Zayn,” Liam said. It wasn’t exactly hostile; Zayn was taking it as a win.

“H-hi,” Zayn stuttered out. Fuck, he still didn’t know what to say. “I was, um, I was meeting up with someone and I, uh, saw you and thought that I’d…say hi?”

Zayn wanted to kick himself. He was meeting up with someone? He thought he’d say hi? Literally what? Wasn’t that the excuse he gave last time?

Liam raised an eyebrow in response, still clearly at a loss for what to say. His date, however, had no such problems.

“Zayn? Why does that name sound so familiar?” Zayn glanced over at Liam’s date, who was trying to figure out who Zayn was without either man telling him. Zayn had just looked back to Liam when his date let out a triumphant little gasp.

“You’re Liam’s ex!”

Zayn and Liam both winced, Liam’s no doubt for how awkward Zayn’s presence was about to make his date.

Liam’s date didn’t seem to have the same qualms, though, because he held out his hand—the one that _wasn’t_ holding Liam’s—to Zayn and said, “I’m Joseph! Harry told me a bit about you!” Zayn couldn’t help the look of shock that crossed his features. Why on earth had Harry told Liam’s blind date about his ex? What good could that have done?

It didn’t matter, though, because now that Joseph had started talking, he kept going. He filled up what could have been awkward silence with nonstop babble and any other time Zayn might have been thankful for it, but he was still holding Liam’s hand and Zayn just wanted him to _stop._

But he wouldn’t _stop._ Zayn had half a mind to dumb one of the glasses of wine in his lap; he would surely stop talking then.

“—and Liam has been so sweet tonight. He’s very charming. Was he like this when you guys dated?” Yeah, the wine was beginning to look like a _really_ good idea. Very, very tempting.

“—because if he was, I can’t see why you’d ever break up with him, honestly—"

It all seemed to happen in slow motion, one minute Liam’s date was talking to Zayn with that dumb ass smile on his face, then the next Zayn was—very casually, if he did say so himself. It definitely looked like an accident—sweeping his hand out, knocking over a full glass of wine in _Joseph’s_ lap. Joseph let out a gasp as Zayn put on his best shocked face, morphing his features into one of sincere apology.

“Oh, my God,” Zayn gasped out. “I’m so, so sorry. I wasn’t watching where I was putting my hands. I’m so sor—”

“Zayn,” Liam’s tone was clipped when he spoke. Zayn immediately stilled, his words coming to an abrupt halt. He sounded _pissed._ _Fuck._

Zayn slowly swiveled to face Liam more fully, his expression no doubt showcasing his dread. “Um, yes?”

“Can I speak to you?” Liam stood up, his posture rigid and tense. “In _private._ ”

Zayn gulped, nodding quickly before straightening to follow him. Liam turned around, marching towards the door without turning to see if Zayn was following. Zayn didn’t blame him, they both knew he would. Zayn gave one last glance to Liam’s date, forcing out a quick, ‘sorry, so sorry’ and a tight smile before hurrying to follow Liam out the front door of the restaurant.

As soon as they were surrounded in night air, Liam rounded on Zayn. “What the fuck was that, Zayn?” Zayn shook his head, trying to come up with an excuse faster than his brain would allow.

“I don’t—” he began, before Liam cut him off.

“And what the fuck are you even _doing_ here?” Zayn let out a nervous laugh. It’s not like he could tell Liam he was practically stalking him and then sabotaging his dates. He doubted that would go over really well.

“I told you, I was meeting someo—”

“Yeah, that’s what you said the last time, too.” Liam’s expression was hard, his eyes giving no indications of what he was thinking. For the first time in years, Zayn found it impossible to read him. Liam was normally so open with his emotions. He never used to hide anything from Zayn—he didn’t _have_ to. Most of the time Zayn knew Liam better than he knew himself. Zayn was navigating dangerous waters here—ones he’d never thought he’d be faced with—and he had no idea what to do. He couldn’t lie to Liam, he never could. But telling the truth wasn’t exactly an option, either.

“I want the truth this time, Zayn. You might think you’re being sly here, but I _know_ you. I didn’t spend the last seven years of my life getting to know you only to forget everything after four months. Tell me the fucking truth. I deserve at least that.” There was a tense moment of silence where the two men just stared at each other, Liam still waiting for answers that Zayn wasn’t willing to give.

Only Zayn knew Liam was right. He did deserve answers, but Zayn was still a coward. He still couldn’t admit how much he regretted running from Liam. Liam was ready to fucking _marry_ him, and Zayn was so scared he booked it out of the relationship and the first mention of a ring, never mind that they’d been in a committed relationship for five fucking years. In hindsight, Zayn realized that breaking it off had been the biggest mistake he’d ever made. The last four months had been absolute _hell_ missing Liam.

Zayn must have been quiet for too long—he was too lost in his thoughts to realize that Liam’s own thoughts were starting to string together into something resembling a pattern. He fixed his narrowed eyes to Zayn’s, a fire lighting behind them that sent chills down Zayn’s spine.

“Zayn Malik…are you…sabotaging…my dates?” Liam’s voice was barely above a whisper when he spoke, but no less lethal.

Zayn felt his shoulders tense further as he choked his way through an exaggerated gasp. “I- w-what? Why would. Liam.” Zayn shook his head, trying to piece together a coherent sentence, but _fuck_ Liam had just called him out. He knew exactly what Zayn was doing— _how_ did he piece it together so easily? Was Zayn that obvious?—and Zayn had no idea if he was going to be able to talk his way out of this. “Th-that’s just, the idea that—”

“ _Zayn,_ ” Liam bit out. He advanced on Zayn, rapidly closing the distance separating them until he was stood toe-to-toe with Zayn. Liam’s breath was fanning over his face as he practically surrounded Zayn, forcing him to instinctively step backwards until Liam had him pressed up against the brick of the restaurant. “Are. You. Sabotaging. My dates?”

Zayn swallowed harshly, his throat constricting painfully around the words he didn’t want to say. He met Liam’s intense stare and knew he wouldn’t be able to lie to him; not when he was standing this close, his familiar cologne making Zayn’s brain go a little fuzzy with how much he fucking _missed_ this boy. How much he wanted him.

“Yes.” Zayn’s voice was wobbly when he spoke the words. He was a little afraid of Liam’s reaction—he was already so angry and worked up at Zayn’s presence alone, and Zayn was scared of what he’d do now that he knew Zayn was only here to ruin his dates.

Liam let out a rough breath, his shoulder’s dropping with its force. Zayn watched as Liam seemed to process his words before, “Why?”

And how could Zayn answer that without sounding like a complete asshole? Especially now that Liam looked like he wasn’t consumed with anger for the first time since Zayn walked into that god forsaken restaurant. A confused Liam was so much better than an angry one.

“I just want to know _why_ , Zayn, because last time I checked _you_ broke up with _me_! You were the one that walked away from us, and now you’re purposefully trying to make sure that I’m never happy again? I don’t understand. What did I do to you that was so bad you—”

Zayn couldn’t listen to another minute of this. If Liam said one more word about how he failed them, Zayn was going to scream. Couldn’t Liam see that their breakup had nothing to do with him, and everything to do with Zayn’s own issues?

“Because I’m jealous, Liam!” Zayn cut it. “Because I see you sitting with other fucking people, laughing at their jokes and giving them that stupid fucking flirty smile, and I _hate_ it. It drives me nuts. You’re _mine.”_

 “But I’m not yours! You made sure of that when you _broke up with me_!” The anger was back again, but Zayn was glad for it. It made it so much easier for him to find his own.

“Just because we broke up doesn’t mean I don’t fucking _care,_ Liam. I still care. I care about the fact that you’re parading around with these men who think they have a right to your attention, to _you_.” Zayn’s pulse was practically thundering, his anger humming under his skin as he thought of Joseph’s fucking hand on top of Liam’s, so familiar and _wrong_. “Because they don’t. You’re mine, and I don’t fucking want them to touch you.”

The words had barely left Zayn’s mouth before Liam was lurching forward, his lips crashing into Zayn’s with bruising force. Their teeth clicked painfully, but Zayn was well passed the point of caring. He’d _dreamed_ about this; about finally getting Liam’s lips back on his after so long.

Their lips had barely been connected for a few seconds before Liam was pulling back, bringing his unfocused gaze up to Zayn’s. “Don’t think this means that I’m not still angry.”

Zayn nodded, already leaning in again. “Of course.” He sealed their lips together again, reveling in the delicious pressure until—

“Because I am. I’m still really mad.”

“I know,” Zayn murmured, breath ghosting across Liam’s lips before he closed the distance. Zayn was able to enjoy the kiss for longer this time, before—

“Don’t think I’m just gonna forget that shit you pulled in there—”

“Okay, okay, _fuck, Liam,_ I _get_ it. Just fucking shut up and _kiss me—”_

And this time Liam did. Zayn threw himself into the kiss, not hesitating for a second as he wound his arms around Liam’s neck and pulled him in further; flush up against Zayn’s chest. Liam responded by pushing him tighter against the wall, rocking his body forward into Zayn’s until they were practically fused together.

Zayn worked the fingers of one hand into Liam’s hair, tugging it roughly to angle Liam’s head so he could deepen the kiss. The shock of pain sent a gasp out of Liam’s parted lips, one Zayn greedily swallowed down before shamelessly taking advantage of Liam’s surprise. He ran his tongue over Liam’s lower lip, coaxing Liam into parting them more so Zayn could taste more of him. Liam retaliated by biting down on Zayn’s own bottom lip, sending a shock of electricity racing through his nerve endings. His hips rocked forward, meeting Liam’s in a grind that wasn’t in the slightest bit appropriate. It was appreciated, though, if the groan Liam let out was any indication.

Liam pulled away with a muttered _fuck,_ meeting Zayn’s eyes as he lowered a hand to grip the back of Zayn’s thigh, hoisting the leg up until it was wrapped around Liam’s waist. The new position allowed Liam to press himself more firmly up against Zayn, their hips aligning in a way that was decidedly indecent for the very public place they were currently at.

“ _Liam,_ ” Zayn gasped out, his head hitting the brick behind him as Liam ground forward. A dull ache started in his skull from the impact, but he’d be concerned with that later. His mind was a constant loop of _liamliamliamliam_ and nothing else.

Another moan lodged itself in Zayn’s throat as Liam attached his lips to the now exposed column of Zayn’s throat, biting and sucking his way down to Zayn’s collar bone. Fuck, but Liam’s lips were magical. Zayn had missed them so much. He was going to write songs about them, build fucking shrines in their honor. He was going to—

“Liam?”

Everything froze for a moment: Zayn felt Liam’s entire body tense against his own as Zayn’s own pulse turned to ice in his veins.

Joseph. Fuck.

Very slowly, Liam let go of his hold on Zayn. Zayn had to choke back the whine that tried to force it’s way out of his throat at the loss of contact. Liam stepped back, putting distance between him and Zayn. Zayn looked to Liam, trying to meet his eyes to get a read on his emotions, but Liam was refusing to meet his gaze and he was still icing Zayn out. Zayn couldn’t even begin to guess what Liam was thinking right now.

Finally, Liam seemed to brace himself before turning back to his date.

“Joseph, I—” Liam started, but then stopped. He seemed lost in that second, confused and a little scared and Zayn wanted more than anything to just reach out and comfort him. He barely stopped himself from doing just that.

Joseph was staring back at Liam, his eyes occasionally darting to Zayn, confusion and a little bit of hurt so clearly written in his eyes.

“Liam, what…” Joseph began, but it was clear he didn’t know how to finish. He couldn’t very well ask what was going on, that much had been very obvious.

“I’m so sorry,” Liam whispered out, regret and misery practically engraved in his features. “I didn’t, this wasn’t—” Liam cut himself off again, a frustrated noise escaping his throat. “I’m sorry,” he finally finished, clearly not knowing what else to say.

Joseph nodded his head, clearly still trying to work through what he’d just saw. He glanced at Zayn again, before settling his eyes back on Liam. “Can I, uh, can I ask why? Was I boring you, or—”

“No!” Liam quickly cut him off, taking a couple steps forward like that would help drive home his point. “No, God, no. You were great in there. I was having a really good time.” Liam gave Joseph a twisted little smile, a touch bitter and a lot regretful. “I don’t have. It’s just…Zayn and I have history, y’know? I got. I don’t know. Caught up? Fuck, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean for this to happen.”

Joseph nodded again, a small, but sad, smile gracing his lips as he crossed the space between himself and Liam.

“It’s okay, I get it. I had fun, too, but it’s obvious you have…things you need to work out with your ex.” He leaned forward, placing a soft kiss to Liam’s cheek before backing away. He met Zayn’s gaze one last time before giving a soft _goodbye, Liam,_ and disappearing around the corner.

For a long moment, Liam just stood there; his back to Zayn as he stared at the space Joseph had once been. When he finally turned to face Zayn, Zayn almost wished he’d turn back around.

Liam’s face was _awful_. He was no longer hiding his emotions from Zayn, no. He was displaying them in full technicolor, and he was absolutely anguished. His lower lips was wobbling, and there were tears quickly filling his eyes, threatening to spill over the longer they stood there. Zayn didn’t know what to do, didn’t know what to say. Fuck. His own heart was pounding in his ears. Liam looked absolutely wrecked and all Zayn wanted was for it to go away. He just wanted Liam to smile, not look like his life was crumbling at his feet.

He took a shaky step forward, extending a hand to comfort Liam, but Liam quickly took a step back.

“No,” Liam croaked, holding a hand out to stop Zayn from advancing. “Don’t you fucking come _near_ me.”

Zayn felt his stomach drop out at Liam’s words, his own hand dropping to his side as his brain came to a screaming halt.

“God, this is what you wanted, isn’t it?” Liam laughed, a bitter, humorless thing that had Zayn wincing without realizing it. “You wanted to watch my date crash and burn; wanted to watch me make an absolute wreck of this date. You took your job very seriously, didn’t you?”

Zayn watched as a single tear finally leaked its way out of Liam’s eye, and with it Zayn felt his own heart fall to his feet and shatter. Fuck, but he’d really made a mess of things this time.

“Well congratulations, Zayn. Another fucking success.” This time it was Liam who turned on his heel and disappeared around the corner.

Zayn felt a lot of things in that moment, but successful wasn’t even close to one of them.

—

Zayn should’ve known coming to Niall for comfort would be a mistake. In Niall’s defense, though, Zayn hadn’t really told him the whole story. Or any of the story, really. He’d just told Niall that he was kind of, maybe, most likely sabotaging Liam’s dates. He also told Niall that he was doing it to help Liam. Neither of them were buying it, really.

Still, Niall didn’t have to go and accuse him of being _jealous_. He was right, but still. He could have at least pretended to humor Zayn.

He also didn’t have to go and tell Zayn that he’d set Liam up with a date, too. Zayn felt more than a little betrayed by that. Niall, out of all of them, was supposed to see Zayn’s side. He was the one who was supposed to have Zayn’s back.

“I’m not doing it out of jealousy, Niall! I’m doing it to help Liam! You guys are throwing all these random guys at him and just expecting him to pick one from the line up! And to what? To help him move on? To help him forget about me, about our breakup? Did it ever occur to you that maybe Liam is coping just fine on his own?” Zayn decidedly didn’t mention what had happened the last time he’d sabotaged Liam’s date. Judging by the look Niall was giving him, Zayn was pretty sure he knew anyway. Zayn would bet anything Liam had already told him.

Niall raised his eyebrows, fixing a pointed look in Zayn’s direction. “Did it ever occur to _you_?” he shot back, and Zayn took a few stumbling steps back at the words. Niall let out a tired sigh, immediately softening his tone. “Zayn, man, I love you, but have you even stopped to think about Liam in all of this even once?”

Zayn let out a loud scoff. “Literally everything I’ve done up until this point has been about helping Liam. Have you not been listening to anything I’ve said?”

Niall rolled his eyes, bringing his arms up to cross over his chest. He stared at Zayn for a moment, his gaze seeming to bore right through Zayn. It made him more than a little nervous.

“Is that really what you believe?” Niall asked. “Or is that just what you keep telling yourself so your guilt doesn’t eat you alive?”

Zayn first instinct was to tell Niall he was wrong, but the words got stuck in his throat. He thought back to Liam—the way he looked on those dates, the sadness around his eyes, the way Zayn’s presence alone had seemingly thrown him off balance. The fucking _look_ he’d given Zayn as he walked away that last time. Zayn thought about the feelings he kept pushing down—the way his skin prickled right before he did something to sabotage a date, the way his pulse quickened when he saw Liam, the hot weight that settled in his gut when he seen those guys holding onto Liam like they had the fucking right. Guilt, love, jealousy.

Niall was right, Zayn’s intentions were never to save Liam from bad dates, they were to prevent him from going on good ones. Zayn’s known this since that fucking kiss—if it could even be called that; it was so much more.

Zayn looked back up, meeting Niall’s eyes. He felt completely lost, and Niall’s knowing look only made him feel more adrift. What the fuck was he supposed to do? It wasn’t like he could just go talk to Liam right now, and even if he did would Liam even listen? They hadn’t exactly parted on good terms. Plus, Liam had another date tonight, a date that _Niall_ had set him up on. What if this one went well? What if Liam and this guy genuinely had a good time? What if Zayn was too late?

“Ni, what…what am I supposed to do?” Zayn croaked out. He didn’t even care how pathetic he sounded. He _felt_ pathetic. He fucked everything up with Liam, and now he didn’t even know if he could fix it. God, he hoped he could still fix it.

At Zayn’s question, Niall dropped his arms back to his sides, his features softening at Zayn’s pitiful tone. "Liam has another date tonight, yeah?” Zayn nodded. “So, do what you’ve been doing. Get a table in the back, kind of secluded from everyone else so it’s harder for Liam to spot you.”

Zayn felt his eyebrows drawn down as a frown took over his lips because what? Hadn’t the whole point of this conversation been to discourage Zayn from his sabotaging ways? “I-I’m confused,” Zayn started. “You want me to…sabotage another date?”

Niall snorted, rolling his eyes as he took a couple steps towards Zayn. “Nobody said anything about sabotage, mate.” He clapped a hand on Zayn’s shoulder, handing a slip of paper to Zayn with the other one. “If you wanna sabotage, go ahead. I’ve a feelin’ you won’t want to, though.”

Zayn felt his frown deepen as he took the paper from Niall’s grasp. He was even more confused now. “What is this? What do you mean?”

Niall smiled, letting a light laugh slip passed his lips as he patted Zayn’s shoulder again. “Those’re the details to Liam’s date. I have full faith you’ll figure it out, mate. Good luck.” And with that, Niall gave Zayn one last pat before walking passed him and down the hall.

Zayn looked down at the piece of paper in his hand, Niall’s messy scrawl spelling out an achingly familiar restaurant and a time. So, Liam was taking this guy to his favorite restaurant. Zayn squeezed his eyes shut, bringing his fists up to rub at them. If Liam was taking his date there, it probably meant he was serious about this working out. He wouldn’t ruin his favorite restaurant with a bad first date.

Zayn knew right then that he wouldn’t tamper with this date, even if every muscle in his body was urging him storm the restaurant and stop the date. He was done fucking up Liam’s dates out of selfishness.

—

Zayn had contemplated not even showing up—what was the point? He had already decided that he wasn’t going to do anything to ruin this date, so why show up and put himself through the torture? But then Niall had texted him a menacing ‘ _u better fuckin b there_ ’ a half hour before the daunting _8 o’clock sharp_ written on that godforsaken piece of paper. So, now here he was, sitting in the back of Liam’s favorite restaurant, absolutely miserable, and preparing himself to watch the love of his life make eyes at someone else. Excuse the fuck out of him if he wasn’t exactly in a good mood.

Zayn was tearing at his napkin and contemplating just how much bad karma he apparently had built up when the chair in front of him was being pulled back and someone was sitting down. He looked up sharply, more than a little startled and slightly confused. He was only more confused when he realized who was sitting across from him.

“Liam?” Zayn croaked, taking a quick look around. What the fuck was going on. Wasn’t he supposed to be on a date? “Aren’t you supposed to be on a date?”

Liam rolled his eyes as he scooted his chair in. “I am,” he stated. He stopped there, not giving any indication of where his date was currently located and why he was sitting in front of Zayn.

Zayn raised his eyebrows in response because, “Then why…aren’t you? Like, why are you here instead of with your date.”

The corner of Liam’s mouth ticked up in a smile, his eyes softening on Zayn and _fuck_. Zayn was consumed with that overwhelming force of regret again. Why the fuck had he ever thought breaking up with Liam was a good idea?

“I meant I _am_. I am currently on my date, not that I’m supposed to be at another one.”

Zayn should probably accept that he was going to spend the rest of his life in a state of confusion because it sounded like…

“Oh,” Zayn gasped. “You mean, like, me?”

Liam laughed, a small, shy thing that wasn’t anything like the loud booming one Zayn had gotten used to while they were dating, but wonderful and breathtaking nonetheless. He nodded at Zayn, his eyes crinkled slightly because of the way his smile pushed up his cheeks.

Zayn was transported back to their very first date—his nerves almost as bad then as they suddenly were now—sitting across from Liam and at a loss of what to say while being faced with that honest, open grin.

Liam smile slowly dimmed, only the very corners remaining quirked up in an almost bittersweet way. “We really gotta talk, Z.”

Zayn forced back a whimper, swallowing it down as his nerves spiked again. Fuck, that sounded scary as shit, but Liam was right. They really did.

“Yeah,” Zayn rasped. “You’re right.” Zayn didn’t continue, instead letting the silence draw out because honestly, where would they even start? Liam, apparently, knew exactly where they should begin if the little smirk that took over his lips was any indication.

“Why don’t we start by you telling me why you’ve been sabotaging my dates, hmm?”

Zayn let out a breath, closing his eyes and bowing his head to avoid Liam’s probing gaze. “Haven’t we, like, already been over this?” They had, it was a conversation Zayn had been replaying in his head for days. Just like that damn kiss.

He heard Liam exhale a small laugh as Zayn opened his eyes before, “We have. But I figured it would probably be better to do it without all the shouting, and, y’know.” He gave a jerky gesture around the restaurant, and Zayn wasn’t sure if he was referring to the building or what followed all the shouting. “…in a place where a sudden, slightly violent make out session isn’t likely.” Oh, so he was referring to both, then.

Zayn barked out a laugh as his gaze reconnected with Liam’s. Liam’s own eyes were dancing with mirth, and just like that Zayn felt all the tension drain from his shoulders. This was Liam, talking to him had always been easy, and that was something Zayn forgot a long time ago. He forgot how easy it was to just open up to Liam, and it had been their downfall.

“’m sorry, Li. I’m so fucking sorry. I knew. I knew I was pulling away—putting distance between us, but I couldn’t stop myself.”

Zayn watched as Liam worked hard to keep his expression open—to allow Zayn to read the emotions filtering across his face, even when it was obvious Liam wanted to close himself off. Zayn found himself constantly amazed by Liam.

“So why did you, then? Why’d you pull away?” Liam looked down at his lap, a heart-breakingly sad look marring his features. “What did I do

“Fuck, Liam,” Zayn cut in because _no_. Their breakup had nothing to do with anything Liam had ever done, and everything to do with Zayn not being able to process his emotions in a mature way. “It wasn’t anything you did. It was never you.” Liam looked back up, his confusion mixing with his sorrow. Zayn took a deep, steadying breath before reaching across the table to take Liam’ hand into his. Liam’s touch always grounded him, and he needed that now more than ever.

“I was scared, Li.” Zayn gave a small, self-depreciating shrug. “We had been dating for a while and the lads kept making jokes about us getting married and it scared me. It got me thinking about if that was something you wanted, and it all just seemed too fast. We’re still so fucking young, and that’s a huge commitment. I thought about talking to you about it, to see what you were thinking, but the more I thought about that conversation the more I started to panic.” Zayn dropped his eyes to his and Liam’s clasped hands. He was too afraid of the emotions he’d see in Liam’s eyes after he continued. “And then Louis went and told me you’d bought a ring.”

Zayn more saw than heard Liam’s next intake of air. It was sudden and deep, and Zayn wasn’t sure if it was from shock or hurt.

 “Once the panic set in, there was no going back. All I was thinking about was the people I knew who’d gotten married at our age. How their relationship had just crumbled. How they’d fallen out of love so easily. I think…I think I used all that as an excuse for what I was really feeling.” Zayn swallowed, forcing back the emotions trying to bubble up. He looked up, wanting to look Liam in the eyes for this next part. When he spoke again, his words were much quiter than before. “I was also terrified of disappointing you. You’re so fucking great, Li. I still wonder every day why you put up with me for five years. I-I couldn’t talk to you about it because I knew what you’d say. You’d tell me I was wrong, that I wouldn’t be a disappointment and then you’d be stuck with me and you’d be forced to pretend like our relationship wasn’t falling apart, that we weren’t slowly falling out of love and—” Zayn cut himself off, drawing in a deep, steading breath as he looked back to their hands. “Once we had that conversation, it would be out in the open. You’d second guess yourself and our relationship and that would be _my_ fault. I couldn’t very well say yes to a proposal that had the potential of suffocating us both.”

 

Liam was quite for a long moment before, “Do you still feel that way?” His tone was soft, eerily similar to the one Zayn had just been using moments before. It caused Zayn to finally look up, meeting the gentle brown of Liam’s eyes. Liam’s face was nothing but understanding—like he completely understood the jumbled mess that had tumbled out of Zayn’s mouth—even though Zayn was sure it made no sense—and he’d already forgiven him. It made Zayn more than a little brave.

“Liam, I’d fucking marry you right now if that’s what you wanted,” Zayn breathed out because it was _true_. He’d spent the last few months regretting every second of their breakup, wishing he hadn’t been a coward and he’d just _talked_ to Liam. He would’ve realized a hell of a lot sooner that the idea of marrying Liam wasn’t all that scary—in fact, it was something Zayn _wanted_. He’d been stupid to ever think he didn’t want to spend the rest of his life with this boy. It was the idea of disappointing Liam that had him running—the idea that his and Liam’s relationship would crumble just like so many of Zayn’s friend’s had after marriage. Zayn should’ve realized sooner that what him and Liam had was a lot stronger than any of those.

Liam smiled at him, a small one that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Is that even something _you_ want, though?” Liam asked.

Zayn’s heart _ached_ in that moment. Liam was so consistently thoughtful. He was always making sure Zayn was getting what he wanted; that he was comfortable. Zayn should’ve married him _years_ ago.

“Yes,” Zayn said, his voice steady and firm. He didn’t want there to be any doubt left in Liam’s mind about where he stood. “I’ve been in love with you for forever; you’re it for me. I want everything with you, Liam. Anything you have to offer, I want it. For the rest of my life.”

Liam let out a small laugh, his smile _finally_ reaching his eyes. “You know, that kinda sounded like a marriage proposal.”

Zayn found himself laughing with Liam, bringing their hands up to his lips to place a kiss to the back of Liam’s.

“Do you want it to be?” Zayn question was completely serious. He wasn’t kidding when he said he’d marry Liam right now.

Liam’s grin softened, his face showing so much open love and affection that Zayn felt his heart flutter in his chest. “How about we just start here, yeah? With this date?”

“Yeah,” Zayn agreed. “That sounds good.” He waited a beat before saying, “I love you, you know,” because it was practically bursting out of him. He didn’t think he could hold the words in if he tried. The grin Liam gave him in return was blinding and so, so worth it.

“I love you, too, Zed. I always will.”

**Author's Note:**

> You can find the original ask (and me!) [here](https://lovlieziam.tumblr.com/post/185739752861/i-am-not-that-anon-but-if-you-wanted-to-write-zayn)


End file.
